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Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Racecation Packing

If you love racecations, you probably have the packing down pat. I pack more running gear than I do regular clothes, but usually I'm only away for a long weekend. If I'm at Disney, I can manage with one pair of jeans and some shorts. Running shorts are perfectly fine to wear in the parks. Heck, if it's cool enough, good luck getting me out of my running capris.

A little advice goes a long way, so if you're looking for some tips, here you go :-)

I always take carry-on and never check luggage. I have all my gear with me on the plane and there's no chance of my being separated when I need my running gear. If you're packing gels for energy, they're fine in the liquids bag.

Remember, if you're in any city, there will be grocery stores. Unless your pre-race breakfast is strange, most places will have cereal, bagels, peanut butter, you name it. Not to mention grocery stores have their travel sections. If you forgot a liquid, you can buy it.

The Stick might pose a problem at TSA. I did manage to get mine through in 2013, but I haven't tried it since. Instead, I have a travel-sized, very mini foam roller, but my trusty lacrosse ball works better than the foam roller. I need time with the lacrosse ball after flying since I'm a little tense on the plane and my muscles get tight.

Finally, if you're sight-seeing, don't overdo it before the race. You want to try to go into the race with fresh legs, then walk around the city afterwards. Your lights might be tired after the race, but walking around post-race helps flush the lactic acid from your muscles.

I always try to have my running essentials in my carry on, but when my husband ran Dopey and I did the 10k and half at Disney in 2014, there was no avoiding checking bags. With six races between the two of us, we looked like we were moving out of our apartment when we headed to the airport for our flight!

We are usually gone for more than a week and racing multiple races, so I have to check things. I do make sure I have at least one full running outfit and a pair of shoes in carry on, plus I wear a Skirt Sports skirt to travel, so I can make do if the other stuff gets lost.